Musings: New Irish Song Single, Top the Christmas Charts

Fun Celtic Music, the Traditional and the Twisted
Proud Supporter of Indie Celtic music!
www.marcgunn.com

Irish drinking songs and science fiction. Nowhere else but from the bizarre imagination of Marc Gunn would those elements be so neatly integrated. It’s like a satirical jam session between The Clancy Brothers and Weird Al Yankovic.

Marc's Musings

I just finished my second weekend at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival performing with my new duo, Gunns & Drums. It's been an exciting couple o'weeks. Jamie Haeuser and I started singing together a few years back. This is the first where all our shows at the faire are booked as Gunns & Drums. It's fun building a new band.

This year's festival has been a mind-blowing experience for me. First, I love performing with other musicians. Jamie and my vocals blend SO beautifully. It's magical. And the musical rhythms have me dancing on stage. Now we just need to get our audience's toes-tapping.

Second, we are really focused on crafting a great music show. We play eight songs for each of our three performances at the festival. Our goal is to mesmerize and engage our audiences both physically and mentally so the only reason to get up is to dance. We still have a ways to go, but we're getting close. Each performance is getting better and better.

Best of all, we're telling a story. It's the story of our new album--How America Saved Irish Music. The album is all about the Irish disaspora, and how Irish music was molded by America. It's quite fascinating. It's fun. And it's got rhythm. I love it!

If you're looking for the album, you'll have to come see us at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. That's the only place it is on sale right now. The CD should arrive from the printers this week. However, it won't go officially on sale until February. In the meantime, you can now listen to the first single, "A Stor Mo Chroi" featuring Jamie lead on vocals. The single will be on sale on iTunes and Amazon in a few days.

If you like this single, make sure you Like the band on Facebook and check out our website at www.gunnsanddrums.com.

Slainte!
Marc Gunn

PS. Don't forget to keep voting for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast in the Podcast Awards. You can vote once a day until November 15th.

Both Kickstarter CDs Are Sent, Help Top the Charts

Tomorrow is the big day. I will put the last of the Kickstarter CDs into the mail. That includes both A Celtic Christmas and Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion. Both are done and all the CDs will be in your hands in a few days, if you haven't already received them.

I need to thank everyone who made these albums possible. I really couldn't do it without your kind and generous support. So thank you.

Now that these are done. I'm looking at some big promotions. It all starts this Saturday, November 16th. I'm holding my first Top the Charts event for A Celtic Christmas.

Top the Charts is an idea I conceived to give new albums a push for greater visibility. Basically, the more people who buy an album at the same day or even time, the higher that album will climb the charts on iTunes and Amazon. That means greater visibility and increased sales because of that visibility.

I know many of you already pre-ordered the album. But there are still ways you can help.

First and foremost is to sign up to my Top the Charts mailing list. I'm gonna send out a bunch of emails with ideas on how you can do just that. Please sign up.
Second is to buy a copy of the album for you or a friend. Yes, you may already own the album, but I bet you know someone who should too. Give it as a gift. When you buy through iTunes, you an also send it on a specific day. I think CD sales on Amazon also count towards the charts. So buy the physical CD for a friend too.
If you buy anything in the new Irish & Celtic Music Podcast Store, you'll also get a free copy of the album via iTunes or Amazon or you or a friend.
If you don't want to buy the album, just buy one song from your favorite band. If you already have my song "Christmas in Scotland", check out "(Without You on) Christmas Day" by George Papavgeris. That is one of my absolute favorite songs on the album. It is BRILLIANT!
Tell a friend. Share this promo on facebook and twitter and whatever social network you're on. Just spread the word.
Oh! And did I mention if you buy a copy of the album and send me a receipt, you'll get a second album of music by many of the bands on the compilation for free!? It's a great deal. Two CDs for the price of one. So please help these bands and the CD and me out. Buy it on November 16th!

Again, if you really want to help, sign up to the Top the Charts mailing list. That'll feature all the great news.

Oh! And on November 30th, my next solo CD Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion will also be on sale on iTunes and Amazon. You can still pre-order the album on both of those sites too. I'll talk about that more after the 16th.

Join Song Henge, Get Christmas, Save 10%

Song Henge has long been the official fan club of the Irish & Celtic Music Pocast. It has very successfully allowed me to keep that show running through the generous support of fans of the show.

However, I recently made a big change. Now, when you become a Core member, you are also an official Gunn Runner, complete with some special bonuses. You get all the free music that comes from a normal Song Henge membership. But you also gain access to some exclusive Marc Gunn content, including live shows, limited-edition albums, and even some live video.

Plus, as I mentioned above, you can also get a copy of A Celtic Christmas for you or a friend when you join AND you'll also get some Christmas cards that you can send to folks this holiday season. OH! I also updated the Patron of the Arts level with a bunch of cool new gifts for 2014.

Join before December 10th and save 10% on any membership level. Use the coupon code: NOVEMBER13SAVE

This is the best deal you will see all season!

New Podcasts

Blog Highlights

I've been a wee bit shy on posting blogs the last month as I packed up Kickstarter gifts. Hopefully, I'll be back to blogging in the next couple o'weeks.

About Marc Gunn

Please add "slainte@marcgunn.com" to your whitelist or email address book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!

Marc Gunn, The Celtfather, plays acoustic folk music rooted in the American Celtic song tradition–-Celtic music, the Traditional and the Twisted. He brings a powerful and expressive voice to Celtic music. His musical instrument of choice-the autoharp-continues to surprise musical veterans and fans a like for it’s unique sound and spirited energy. Embrace independent Celtic music!

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